Review - Tangle of Thornes by Lorel Clayton

My Copy of the Book

Blurb:

When Eva's brother is murdered in a city of rude elves and matriarchal dwarves where humans have no rights, she is forced to investigate the crime herself. What she discovers brings her up against a powerful slave-trading cartel, dark gods, and—worst of all—her twin sister. Both her family and the elven authorities want her hushed. She has no money and no magic of her own with which to combat them, but she does have an illegally-freed slave, a senile nanny, and an ex-almost-boyfriend on her side. Even when she nearly loses her job and almost loses her head in a sword fight on the same night, she isn’t deterred. It’s when the nanny goes missing that she really starts to worry. 

Femme fatale turns hard-boiled investigator in this first Eva Thorne novel. Set in a fantasy world where magic and machines can't stand against the God of Death, humans are on the run from the god's invasion. Highcrowne is the only refuge, but that means living in the Outskirts of an ancient city ruled by Avian mages, indifferent dwarves, and elves who'd prefer to see humans as their slaves. It's worst for Eva's people, Solhans, because they were the ones who summoned the Dead God into the world. No one wants her kind in Highcrowne and there are plenty who would be happy to see her brother dead. There are too many motives and not enough time to unravel them, because other people are dying … and Eva is fast running out of vacation time. 

About the Author(s):

Lorel and Clayton were both born and raised in the Western United States and were teen sweethearts, brought together by a fierce love of books and hormones, of course. They traveled to Australia in 1997 and never left, finding the sunshine and beaches of “Oz” too irresistible. Lorel has a PhD in Pathology and Once Upon a Time did cancer research before turning to marketing. Clayton has a Master’s Degree in Visual Art and prefers Expressionist painting in acrylics but has recently tackled digital painting, mostly because there’s a hyperactive three-year-old boy running around the house (their gorgeous son, in case you were wondering if that’s normal). Despite having been married for twenty-five years, they are still madly in love and still writing! As writing partners, they meld logic and creativity, as well as genres. Fantasy, science-fiction, mystery, horror, steampunk, thriller, romance, and the classics—they read them all, and if they can mix them they will.

Connect with the Author(s):

Facebook: Lorel Clayton Facebook

Twitter: Lorel Clayton Twitter

Author Website: Lorel Clayton Author Website

My Take on the Book:

I had some serious book boyfriend crushes in this novel...though one of them unfortunately turned out to be one of the bad guys - and he REALLY had a way with words as well! I could understand why some slavers in this novel chose to keep quiet about some things. There also ended up being a real plot twist in this book. I found Eva Thorne witty and very amusing. In this world, machines also have feelings as I found out. I ended up giving this novel a 4 star rating. I got a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review. 

Last Word:

I'm still unfortunately disappointed about the book boyfriend that turned out to be a bad guy...but, as they say, life goes on! Please be sure to support the author and their works, along with connecting with them. 

Enjoy,

Carmen.